Tuesday, August 12, 2008

I've been meaning to post about this for a while, but I've been too busy enjoying what little summer Seattle has, and making new creations (inspired, of course, by all the lovely colors of summer!).

I was contacted some time ago by Ang from Karma Charms (www.karma-charms.com) a website dedicated to big dogs. As some of you may know, I myself have a dog, Delilah, but she is definitely not big. She's a 57lb lap-mutt who loves to go running, despite her ever slowing pace, and adores our kitties (especially chasing the little one). She's not a big girl, and she doesn't pull on the leash or startle easily, but I've certainly been around dogs that are and do, and I can see the potential problems that this could create. Angs dogs are bigger, and stronger, than mine, and they require a bigger and stronger collar:

Ang and her business partner have created a business dedicated to finding products, including collars and leashes, suitable for big dogs. I'm honored to be a part of their site with my collars. Since Karma Charms is for big dogs, they are the exclusive vendor for 1.5" and 2" widths (dual-d and dual layer collars are also available by request). I will continue to sell smaller widths directly (just email me - caitlin@moxieandoliver.com or visit my Etsy shop).

That's all for now - I'll write later about why it's so exciting to be partnered with Karma Charms, and the decision that led to it. For now, I will just say that it's the only place you can get Moxie and Oliver goods, besides directly from me.

PS: Here are some of the posts that others have done regarding this partnership --

Thursday, July 10, 2008

I was packing up the new Ginger Stripe Medium Messenger to send to it’s new home, and got to thinking about my shipping strategy, and my materials. I wondered if the new owner of this bag would look at the box, and wonder what I’d purchased from GNC. I wondered if she would realize that the packing peanuts that I used came from a UPS store somewhere in the Midwest to me, packed with two of the most fabulous tree brackets that I have ever seen from Knitsteel. I wondered if she would think I was cheap for re-using a box, or peanuts, or if she would realize that this was my little way of saying “I love you environment, and I want to keep you around.”

I sometimes hesitate to send things out in re-used boxes, mostly because I’m worried not everyone will realize that the reason is because I just couldn’t bring myself to put a perfectly good cardboard box in the recycle. Most of the boxes I receive in the mail are on their first use, and have at least one more use left in them, so I fold them up, and store them in my studio until I need a box just that size. I have a collection now. I’m also storing peanuts - right now I have such a big box that I can barely get in my door, but it’s worth it. They can be used again, and not just as entertainment for kittens.

The truth is that I have been thinking a lot about the environment, and how the decisions that I make affect it. We make a large number of decisions each day, and sometimes it’s hard to remember that so many of them affect other people, and the world around us, for generations to come. I plan on sharing some of those thoughts, especially the ones that pertain to my work here as proprietress of Moxie and Oliver, over the next few weeks, months, or years — as long as it takes for me to get them all out.

Next time you receive a box from me, though, and it has a logo on it other than mine, just know that this box is fulfilling it’s purpose - it’s carrying goods until it can no longer do so, and then it just asks that you recycle it, so it can be reincarnated and come back as a business card, only to be sent to you again. And those peanuts, you can bet they came to me via some UPS store, or Macy’s, the two largest suppliers of free and reusable peanuts to Moxie and Oliver.

I’ll return soon, with more thoughts on the environment. I may be thinking about it a little much, though, because animals, plants, and birds, keep working their way into my designs - here’s the latest: